Gaming machines, such as slot machines, video poker machines and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machine and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options. Where the available gaming options include a number of competing machines and the expectation of winning at each machine is roughly the same (or believed to be the same), players are likely to be attracted to the most entertaining and exciting machines. Shrewd operators consequently strive to employ the most entertaining and exciting machines, features, and enhancements available because such machines attract frequent play and hence increase profitability to the operator. Therefore, there is a continuing need for gaming machine manufacturers to continuously develop new games and improved gaming enhancements that will attract frequent play through enhanced entertainment value to the player.
One concept that has been successfully employed to enhance the entertainment value of a game is the concept of a “secondary” or “bonus” game that may be played in conjunction with a “basic” game. The bonus game may comprise any type of game, either similar to or completely different from the basic game, which is entered upon the occurrence of a selected event or outcome in the basic game. Generally, bonus games provide a greater expectation of winning than the basic game and may also be accompanied with more attractive or unusual video displays and/or audio. Bonus games may additionally award players with “progressive jackpot” awards that are funded, at least in part, by a percentage of coin-in from the gaming machine or a plurality of participating gaming machines. Because the bonus game concept offers tremendous advantages in player appeal and excitement relative to other known games, and because such games are attractive to both players and operators, there is a continuing need to develop gaming machines with new types of bonus games to satisfy the demands of players and operators.
In many current wagering games, the progressive jackpots are funded in part by taking a percentage of the coin-in. After one of the progressive jackpots is won, that progressive jackpot will be reset to some basic level (e.g., $1,000 or $5,000). Every time a player makes a wager, a percentage of the wager is allocated to the progressive jackpots. This percentage is then divided in some predetermined way between all of the progressive jackpots. For example, if there are three progressive jackpots, a third of the percentage of the coin-in may be sent to each of the progressive jackpots. In other cases, one of the progressive jackpots may get one half of the percentage, another progressive jackpot may receive one third of the percentage, and the final progressive jackpot will get the remaining one sixth. This type of funding can become boring to the player because the player will see the amounts slowly creeping up, but never making any big leaps. Also, because it is predictable, many players will also find that boring.
Other attempts have been made to randomly award the progressive funding amounts to the various progressive jackpots. However, while this may increase the excitement for the player, one disadvantage is that the random-number generator that randomly assigns the funding amounts to the progressive jackpots must undergo various certifications to comply with local jurisdictional requirements.
Thus, there is a need to provide for a different type of funding method for progressive jackpots that provides player excitement but does not require the rigorous jurisdictional certifications that would be required if a random-number generator were used.